Basic Research

Amber fossils tell 99 million-year-old story of unusual baby birds

By Nsikan Akpan

A pair of 99 million-year-old fossils reveal Cretaceous baby birds with finger claws and adultlike feathers.

Naked lizard proves hair, scales and feathers descend from single reptilian ancestor, study says

By Leigh Anne Tiffany

A decades-long scientific debate is finally resolved, thanks to a scaleless mutant lizard.

Mirror-image molecule near Milky Way’s heart gives glimmer of life’s origins

By Nsikan Akpan

A weird chemical phenomenon called chirality, which is critical for life, has been observed in space for the first time.

What a smell looks like

By Nsikan Akpan, Matt Ehrichs

Smells are normally invisible, but this lab in Colorado uses lasers to bring odors to life. The research is part of a nationwide project to build a robot that can smell.

Supermassive black holes spawn galactic deserts without new stars

By Nsikan Akpan

Astronomers find a supermassive black hole that stifles star formation by causing galactic warming.

Why research for the pure sake of knowing is enough

By PBS News Hour

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Fossilized bubbles could expand our search for habitable planets

By Nsikan Akpan

Bubbles buried in ancient lava on Earth may guide the search of habitable exoplanets.

How many Zika-infected infants will develop microcephaly and other FAQs

By Nsikan Akpan

An outbreak detective squad from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention offers the latest insights on Zika virus.

From Mt. St. Helens’ volcanic ashes, Mother Nature rebuilds

By PBS News Hour

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First giraffe genome reveals the oddity behind an African icon

By Nsikan Akpan

The giraffe is an oddball, both outside and in. By sequencing the giraffe’s genome for the first time, researchers have learned that the animal’s extraordinary external features are matched by wild genetic traits buried inside its cells.